The Unqualified Nazirite

Samson was a famous judge of Israel from the book of Judges. He was born a Nazirite (a person set apart, one of a group of ancient Hebrews consecrated to God). A Nazirite was forbidden to cut their hair, drink wine or any product of the grapevine, or touch a corpse. However, Samson was a disqualified Nazirite.

Samson wanted to marry a Philistine woman, a choice that his parents opposed and that violated God’s law against intermarriage with pagans. Due to Samson’s persistence, his parents reluctantly accompanied him to Timnah for the engagement. On the way, a lion attacked him in the vineyards of Timnah. The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Samson, and though he had no weapon, he tore the lion apart with his bare hands (Judges 14:6).

Later, as he was passing by, Samson turned from the road into the vineyards to see the dead lion. He was actively seeking temptation and going where he shouldn’t, as a Nazirite was supposed to avoid all products of the grapevine. When he saw the carcass, he found a swarm of bees and honey in it, and he ate it. This was a violation of the Nazirite law: “Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, they must not go near a dead body” (Numbers 6:6). Samson seemed to know he had done wrong because when he gave some of the honey to his parents, he “did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass” (Judges 14:9), causing them to also violate dietary purity laws.

In Timnah, Samson held a wedding feast (Judges 14:10). As a Nazirite, Samson was required to stay away from wine and strong drink (Numbers 6:3). Although the author of Judges does not state whether Samson himself drank wine at this feast, it was an occasion that led to sin. At the feast, Samson presented a wager: if anyone could solve his riddle, he would give them thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes (Judges 14:12). Samson’s new Philistine wife betrayed him and told the meaning of the riddle to her people. In a rage, Samson killed thirty Philistines to take their clothes and give them to the men who solved the riddle. This was another violation of the Nazirite vow not to touch a corpse. His wife was later given to another man.

Samson willingly fell into sin, yet God used him every time to glorify Himself. Even our sin cannot hinder God’s sovereignty. Filled with anger and a desire for revenge, Samson vowed to take revenge on the Philistines for stealing his wife (Judges 15:3). He burned their crops, and later, after the Philistines killed his wife, he struck them down “hip and thigh.”

Samson hid in Judah for a time, but the men of Judah, fearing that Samson would worsen their relationship with the Philistines, bound him and handed him over to his enemies (Judges 15:8–13). As the Philistines approached their bound prey, the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Samson. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and his bonds dropped from his hands. Samson picked up a donkey’s jawbone and killed a thousand Philistines with it.

Samson judged Israel for twenty years, but he fought alone and for his own motives. The people themselves were apathetic to their spiritual darkness, and no one rose up to follow him. Yet, God still cared for His people, raising Samson as a judge and giving him the strength to save them. However, their weakness meant that God’s deliverance was not fully realized in their generation. Samson was merely an instrument that God used. Salvation was not dependent on the judge’s ability, character, or spiritual state; God Himself was the true deliverer. He would later entrust the task of subduing the Philistines to Samuel (1 Samuel 7:13), Saul (1 Samuel 14:47), and David (2 Samuel 8:1).